Abstracts

In the modern era, the use of Social websites by consumers has mostly increased and usages of Social Networking Websites have an extensive effect on these consumers in various ways. There are many online networking sites that affect consumer behavior. Social websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc. is having many features which affect and attract many numbers of people. In today’s life, Social Media has become a very strong useful tool using by the consumer in buying decisions.

The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of WhatsApp Marketing on consumer buying behaviour on 400 level JMC students at Buea University. Specifically, the study sought to examine the extent to which Whatsapp marketing influences the buying behaviour of students, examine the factors that motivate students to buy products using Whatsapp media platforms. and to examine the effects of WhatsApp on the consumer buying behaviour of students.

In order to achieve the study objectives, the study sample 100 JMC students using a structured questionnaire through purposive simple random and convenient random sampling techniques. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS (21.0) where frequency and percentages of variables were calculated. Findings revealed that Whatsapp influences consumer buying behaviour, as it provides quick access to information (84.0%), provides a medium for displayed of varieties of products/services (84.0%), and reduces the stress of face-to-face bargaining (89.0%).

The study also revealed that factors that motivate students to buy products using Whatsapp media platforms include, trust (52.0%), the quality of the products or services delivered as promised (62.0%), personal relationship with the seller (64.0%), the usefulness of the product (66.0%), the personality of the individual or organisation (49.0%), privacy (69.0%), good customers services (42.0%) and due to its ability to provide easy access to information (63.0%).

It was concluded that students would buy using WhatsApp media as long as they continue to see an advertisement, and get delivery the exact product advertised as promised. It was recommended that SMEs, Solo-entrepreneurs, and individuals engaged in businesses should employ the use of social media marketing such as WhatsApp in their day-to-day lives.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1: Background of the study

In the early years before social media, there have been a number of traditional forms of advertising such as letter writing, mailing, posting, fax, telegram; just to name but a few. These forms hail back to the 1960s. However, today their effectiveness is on the decline.

According to the site, traditional advertising is becoming quite expensive with fewer returns, the channels such as TV adverts, radio adverts, mail messaging and door to door marketing or PR are not viable and have been taken over by social media which is less expensive and offers two ways communication and instant responses (Rosen, 2012).

In recent years the online environment is viewed by users from a new perspective, in a commercial way. Its development and the emergence of online stores have turned users into consumers. Also, the most important role of social media has changed the way consumers and marketers communicate (Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner, Walsh, 2004). informational society influences the consumer buying decision and product evaluation.

Social media provides a new channel to acquire product information through peer communication according to (Kozinets, 1999). however, with the aid of information and modern communication technologies, consumers are able to shop via the internet using several social media and different websites (Toomey and Wysocki 2005). online shopping, online buying, and internet shopping are all names used in purchasing or buying products or services via the internet using social media and different websites (Li and Rhang, 2002).

Using WhatsApp in your business will enable you to engage and relate to your customers using an instant messaging service they are familiar with. Easily send reach content such as images, gifts, and even product, brochures. Whatsapp for business take your customers to support up a level.

Whatsapp application is very appropriate for business due to its unbeatable and user-friendly features which permits communication between two or more parties and easy understanding. Thereby significantly reducing misunderstanding between business associates. Such user-friendly features include;

Instant messaging (IM)

This feature permits Whatsapp users to communicate by exchanging words in a matter of seconds. When a message is sent using an instant messaging feature, the recipient replies in less than two seconds after receiving the message.

Voice Service

Voice service is considered one of the best Whatsapp offers. It relates and is convenient to people of all classes and walks of life. With the voice service feature, an illiterate is capable of communicating without having to type. Also, this feature, enables very busy people, maybe driving, writing, or attending to other people, to simply talk than having to stress writing. Again, it permits very long messages to simply be spoken in a matter of seconds rather than typing for a couple of minutes.

Video calls

This feature is most appropriate and convenient to solve tremendously the problem of scam. The feature will enable you to talk one-on-one or one-on-many as though the people were with you. One-on-one communication is when you are communicating with just a person, while one-on-many is during a conference call.

Unlimited media transfer

This service which is provided by the Whatsapp application permits users to exchange an unlimited number of photos. As a business person, you can send an unlimited number of your products/ services to buyers and potential buyers either directly into their accounts or via a created group for your business.

Groups

This is another feature Whatsapp offers to its users. With this feature, the administrator(s) communicate with two or more persons at the same time. Whatsapp presently grants a maximum of 250 participants per group. At the same time, Whatsapp gives an unlimited number of creation of groups to its users, this permits a business person to create up to four groups with which they can have access to at least 1000 participants.

Whatsapp media platform is a web-based service which is also known as a “social networking site”. Social media refers to network relationships and interactions among different users. (Kempe and Chin 2003), sited social media such as (Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) enable users to maintain great connections among themselves as well as with others. (Ellison and Kozinets, 2007), by achieving more than one task and facilitating the way of communicating and sharing different information, comments, thoughts, videos & images, (Kietmann, 2011).

Social media is playing a significant role in different aspects of our lives. What is more interesting in social media is the fact that it supports users in several sectors such as, business, marketing, advertising, and education. (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010), which implies that from a businesses perspective, businesses and buyers can interact directly by social media with each other and thereby finding whatever products and services they are looking for, (Parson 2018).

Consumers today are progressively utilizing technology and particularly social media as an effective tool in their online shopping process. This process can be defined as an electronic process that allows consumers to deal with business people and meet their purchases needs. (Pookulangara and Kaesler, 2011) in their study of social media marketing indicate that social media enables 25% of all consumers to post link about products and services information in their retail sites to update other users about the purchase process.

Another study of (Miller, 2010), stated in his research of online marketing that social media marketing has made a very important role in persuading consumers to buy online. He found that 70% of consumers are visiting social media to get useful information, 49% of them made the decision to buy certain products and 60% of consumers prefer to share their information about the product with others online. However, the actual transactions of purchasing processes occur for only 7% of consumers, (Miller and Lammas, 2010).

Online shopping is growing everywhere and different categories of consumers are influenced by this phenomenon. For instance, the percentage of online buyers is increasing in India, China, Japan, and Australia for about 87%, 85% in North Asia and Europe (Solorzano, 2011). The overall online purchasing process has enabled 875millions consumers to boost the percentage of other online shoppers to 40% in the recent two years due to the recommendations posted on different social media about products.

New technological inventions can have a great impact on organizations through their contribution to change the social environment while expediting sharing of knowledge and the development of new ideas. (Kling et al. 2005).

Social media will come in handy as a good example of new technological innovation that is making a great impact on the organizations of today. In time past, social media-inspired technologies were seen as a chapter. But time has proven that wrong. We have seen the world being transformed daily by these new collective technologies, which is giving new hope to organizations with impacts that are never considered to exist initially.

The most prominent technological development in Cameroon that has enhanced consumer buying behaviour are social media organs, the most common of which is the Whatsapp media platform, and also Mobile money services. Whatsapp media platform of recent years has gain deep ground in every facet of business life worldwide.

In Cameroon, it is no different. This platform is very easy to use and is extremely less costly than any other social media organ. Whatsapp also has end-user encryption which makes communication secret and can’t be accessed by a third party. Apart from Whatsapp, consumers’ buying behaviour in Cameroon has been enhanced by the coming of mobile money services offered by Mobile Telephone companies such as MTN (Mobile Money), ORANGE (Orange Money), and others such as YooMee, Western Union Money, etc.

Transactions in the past between customers and business persons had caused a lot of downturns on both parties. Customers had to forgo their needs while business persons forwent possible financial benefits because of the issue of change. Hence, mobile money services came to bridge that gap and put smiles once more on both parties’ faces.

With the mobile money services now available, customers can now pay for their products/ services with the smallest amount possible without fear of change issues again, and business owners as well enjoy an increase in profit due to higher sales compared to yesteryears.

These technologies have greatly enhanced consumer buying behaviour since businesses have met the consumers right at their doorsteps with even wider varieties, with the help of Whatsapp media platform and at the same time eased financial transactions such that, both parties don’t even have to meet physically for a complete business transaction, and also no more problem of change with the help of mobile money services.

Today, most organizations are mainly interested in incorporating social into the business structure into their organizations, but do not have a proper know-how of what social media is all about. They also don’t have a tangible channel to ascertain the gains these technologies have for them. In a survey carried out in 2009 by McKinsey and Company, it was discovered that with the appropriate use of social media, a lot of organizations were able to benefit from each other in ways such as sharing of ideas, communication becomes better and the workplace environment becoming enhanced.

The value that social media adds to organizations is used as an increasing number of organizations are already endorsing and exploiting the various opportunities in social media technological innovation. This is to enable them to find support for their various organizational and business practices (Starmark, 2008).

Social media holds a lot of interesting opportunities, but it is important to understand how to utilize it with its accompanying impact in an organizational context besides where it is applicable in a real-life projects.

The present-day organizations should ask questions like; how can employees use social media technologies to do their work? What impact do these have on employees? These should be pivotal questions for modern-day organizations. These questions can help organizations to understand how social media technologies work effectively at workplaces. Thus, it affords them the opportunity to review and understand how to utilize what it offers with its impact on how people interact and work among them as earlier discussed.

Thus, consumer buying behaviour is often influenced by leading brands. This value is created by generating demand (via repurchases) and securing future earnings for the organization. Sullivan and (Olivera 2013). Therefore, social media marketing serves as an opportunity for communication and depend upon new and usual thought pattern. Therefore, as organizations are becoming more competitive globally, it is pertinent for them to explore marketing strategy in a more compelling and innovative way so as to attract a larger number of customers (Rockendorf, 2011).

According to (Scortt, 2010) prior to social media, organizations had only two significant choices to attract attention; buying expensive advertising or get a third party in from the media. With the rise of social media in recent years, there has been a heightened interest for marketing professionals in the potential of these new outlets for reaching consumers.

Instead of one-way interruption, social media marketing is about delivering useful content at just the precise moment that a buyer needs it. (Case and King, 2011), add that organizations that understand the new rules of marketing and public relations develop relationships directly with consumers. Social media has also opened a tremendous opportunity to reach pinch buyers directly with targeted messages that cause a fraction of what big-budget advertising costs.

1.2 Problem statement 

Products and services and the buying behaviour of customers are basic elements of internet marketing. This is because the two elements form the main importance of internet marketing. In the last ten years, there has been a universal shift in media use towards digital media. This implies the internet is becoming important for all services (Soyoye & Jenyo, 2015). The scope of marketing communication has broadened due to the growth and new development of the internet. This has enabled a large number of people to be reached no matter where they are located (Laudon 2018).

The internet has enabled a massive expansion of the marketplace information intensity majorly by offering marketers and consumers complete real-time information about clients as they engage in the market (Laudon, 2018). The major problem faced by most youths is the marketing of their products or services especially in a town like Buea where several small businesses are been operated. In order to respond to this stiff competition, most youths are expected to draw up an appropriate budget for advertisement and media which give expected results which is equally problematic.

It is also vital to know the art of advertisement, how advertisement influences the perception of consumers and changes their point of view. There are a number of types of adverts media which consumers and potential consumers are exposed to daily which include the radio, television, newspapers and magazines, billboards, websites, etc. The extent to which these different mediums influenced consumers buying behaviour is not known. In Nigeria, two authors (Ayo & Adewoye, 2011), concluded, despite the development in the digital marketing space, clients will still access online mediums such as Whatsapp media platforms to look for information but will eventually purchase traditionally.

Possible contributors which are found to influence such behaviour are risks (security issues) and trust, technology fit, and infrastructure. Given the unending development of the internet in relation to the number of users, transaction volumes, and business penetration, this research is aimed to examine the influence of Whatsapp marketing on consumer buying behaviour.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What influence does Whatsapp marketing as on consumer buying behaviour of 400 level students in JMC?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. To what extent has Whatsapp influenced student buying behaviour?
2. What are the factors that motivate students to buy products using Whatsapp media platforms?
3. How has Whatsapp affected student buying behaviour?